Nyonya Kitchen

Go for the weekend buffet

Nyonya food is possibly the world’s first fusion cuisine. A marriage of Malay and Chinese cooking, sprinkled with Portuguese and Dutch accents, its distinctive flavours have a huge following in Asia. And seeking to covert fans in west Bejiing is Nyonya Kitchen’s Fuchengmen branch.

Its menu offers a spread of traditional Nyonya, Malaysian and Singaporean favourites. As you read it be sure to dig into the complimentary achar, pickled vegetables, which is crunchy and spicy, waking up the palate.

Entrees such as satay (30RMB), chicken or beef chuan’r, and fried tofu (18RMB) are equally authentic and accompanied by proper condiments imported from Malaysia.

Its selection of mains is hitand- miss. The laksa (38RMB), rice vermicelli in spicy coconut broth, is too watery and needs more coconut milk, while the rice in the chicken rice (38RMB) isn’t fragrant, obviously lacking chicken stock.

The Nyonya red curry (38RMB) is decent, with the right consistency, coconut milk and generous pieces of chicken. The best dish, however, is the flavourful, crunchy sambal kangkong (34RMB): water convolvulus fried with belachan (dried shrimp paste), dried shrimps and chilli paste.

Worth travelling all the way down (or at least to the Lido branch) for. Save space for dessert such as the variety of kueh (6-9RMB), small cakes, and Bubur cha cha (16RMB), a bowl of tapioca and sweet potato cubes in coconut milk.

Wash it down with Bandung (18RMB), a diluted mixture of rose syrup and evaporated milk. Empty on a Thursday night, it was packed when we visited again on the weekend during its weekly 50RMB ‘All-you-can-eat buffet’.

With the price of mains around 40RMB, that’s the time to drop by. Kenneth Tan

Nyonya Kitchen 98 Bei Lishi Lu (Inside Holiday Inn Downtown Hotel behind Hua Lian Supermarket), Xicheng district (6833 3669). Open 11am-10pm daily. Meal for two around 150RMB. 西城区北礼士路98 号北京金都假日饭店内